Electric Railway Museum
The Electric Railway Museum (formerly the Coventry Railway Centre) was located in Warwickshire, south-east of Coventry, near the village of Baginton. The heritage railway centre was immediately adjacent to Coventry Airport and so it was also known as "The Airfield Line". The site was managed by the Electric Railway Museum Limited, and was home to a sizeable collection of preserved electric multiple units (EMUs), which was the most diverse and historically significant collection of EMUs in the UK, containing unique items that are the last survivors of once typical and numerous classes. In addition, there are were small industrial electric locomotives, two small industrial diesel locomotives, and one small industrial petrol locomotive, along with some other railway vehicles, which are owned by third parties. The land was leased from Coventry City Council, though it is located just outside the city boundary and is in the county of Warwickshire. On 9 July 2017, it was announced that, owing to the site being sold for development, the museum would close on 8 October 2017 (the last open day of the year). History Coventry Steam Railway Centre The site was originally established as the Coventry Steam Railway Centre in 1986 by a group who set out to preserve Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 tank locomotive number 1857. The group established the site and located the locomotive and other collected items of motive power, rolling stock and infrastructure, including Little Bowden Junction Midland Railway Signal Box there. The land was previously used as part of the municipal water treatment works and there had never been any railway infrastructure there until the creation of the Centre. Suburban Electric Railway Association With a small membership, progress was slow and by the mid-1990s had slowed nearly to a halt. The late nineties saw one of the original founders retire due to ill health and he sold his interest in the site to a consortium of Suburban Electric Railway Association (SERA) members, except the tank engine which was sold to another railway. By 2004, the other founders had left and SERA took over sole running of the site. Electric Railway Museum In 2009, the responsibility of managing the site passed to Electric Railway Museum Limited, a charitable company which had been established in 2008 to create a permanent home for preserving and representing Britain's electric railway heritage. With this development, the original Coventry Railway Centre Limited company was wound up and its assets passed to Electric Railway Museum Limited. The site was open to the public, and group and individual visits could be admitted by prior booking. Track layout The track layout comprised two three road fans of sidings. Those at the end of the site adjacent to the Midlands Air Museum are complete with a headshunt that runs through a 40-metre cutting that was excavated by the members of the original steam centre in the early nineties. The sidings nearest Rowley Road were unconnected. The sidings were protected by an inner fence to create a secure compound. Facilities Other improvements made to the site by Electric Railway Museum in late 2009 included the provision of mains electricity on site and state-of-the-art CCTV equipment. Stock The vast majority of items not being actively restored were sheeted over to protect them from rusting, vandalism, and other damage. (NOTE: All stock has since moved to new homes) Electric Multiple Units ;Overhead EMUs *BR Class 307 Vehicle 75023 (DT) Br blue. Built in 1955. *BR Class 308 Vehicle 75881 (DTCoL) *BR Class 309 Units 960 101 & 960 102 *BR Class 312 Vehicles 78037 (DTCoL) and 71205 (TSO) *BR Class 370 Vehicle 49006 (NDM) ;Third rail Southern Region *BR Class 405 4Sub unit 4732 Vehicle nos: 12795-12354-10239-12796 *BR Class 414 2Hap unit 4311 Vehicle nos: 61287-75407 *BR Class 416 2EPB units 932053 and 6307 *BR Class 457 unit 7001 vehicle 67300 ;Third rail Midland Region. *BR Class 501 2 car unit formed DMBS vehicle 61183 + DTBS vehicle 75186 *BR Class 503 unithttp://electricrailwaymuseum.co.uk/what.html 28690+29720+29289 ;Others *Liverpool Overhead Railway Rebuilt First Class Trailer Car No. 7 Locomotives ;Diesel Locomotives *Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 Diesel Electric 165DE b. 1950 Wks. No. 268881 "Mazda" (Operational) *Ruston & Hornsby 4wd Diesel Mechanical 88DS b. 1953 Wks. No. 338416 "Crabtree" (Undergoing restoration) ;Electric Locomotives *Spondon Power Station No. 1 = 4wd battery/Overhead Electric Loco b. 1935 English Electric Wks. No. E905 (Operational) *Kearsley Power Station No. 1 = Bo-Bo Overhead 550vDC Electric Loco b. 1928 Hawthorn Leslie Wks No. 3682 (Awaiting restoration) *Heysham Power Station No. 1 = Bo-Bo Battery Electric Loco b. 1945 Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Wks No. 7284 "Doug Tottman" (Operational) Carriages *No. 135 City & South London Railway Wood Body Carriage *No. 163 City & South London Railway Steel Body Carriage *No. 60750 / RDB 975386 experimental tilting coach 'Hastings' Gallery File:English Electric E905 (6243717021).jpg|English Electric "Spondon No. 1" E905 File:Ruston & Hornsby 268881 (6243667561).jpg|Ruston 0-4-0DE No. 268881 "Mazda" File:Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 7284 (6250860062).jpg|RSH No. 7284 "Doug Tottman" File:Kearsley power station 9m07.JPG|Hawthorn Leslie Kearsley Power Station No. 1 File:Ruston & Hornsby 338416 (6244233212).jpg|Ruston 88DS 4wd No. 338416 "Crabtree" File:Hibberd Petrol Loco (7652242382).jpg|Hibberd 4wd No. 2895 Image:British Rail Class 457 - unit 7001 - vehicle 67300.JPG|British Rail Class 457, unit 7001, vehicle 67300 Image:British Rail Class 503 (DTS number 29289).JPG|British Rail Class 503, DTS no. 29289. Closure On 9 July 2017, it was announced that, owing to the site being sold for development, the museum would close on 8 October 2017 (the last open day of the year). The future of the museum and its collection of unique electric multiple units and other items was uncertain at that time, with efforts to raise £10,000 underway to cover the costs of moving the stock to an as yet unknown location. Ruston & Hornsby 88 diesel shunter, nicknamed "Crabtree", and BR Class 309 unit 960 101 were moved to the Tanat Valley Light Railway in May 2018 with the EMU to serve as a static museum and buffet train at Nantmawr. References External links * Electric Railway Museum Limited - Site Managers as well as owners of the Class 309 units, SR 2-EPB Unit, Class 307, Class 308 and custodians of Spondon No.1 Locomotive. * Suburban Electric Railway Association - Custodians of many other items of stock on site. Category:Heritage railways in Warwickshire Category:Railway museums in England Category:Electric railways